In a colossal work entitled Of the spirit of Laws, Montesquieu exalts the virtues of a separation of state prerogatives because of the protection it confers on individual freedoms. Without this precaution, they would be vulnerable to tyrannical shifts in power. A look at the recent conduct of the Legault administration reveals the whole basis of the apprehensions raised by Montesquieu.
By increasing the annual salary of members of the National Assembly by $30,000, the government of François Legault is perpetuating the practice of racketeering that has long undermined citizens’ trust in their representatives. Far from meeting the pressing needs of the people of Quebec, this measure bears witness to the government’s cynical indifference to the most basic concerns of its constituents.
Worse still, this increase occurs in an economic context marked by numerous challenges requiring sustained attention from public authorities. Quebecers are struggling with growing difficulties in terms of health, education and housing while the poverty rate continues to rise. In light of these circumstances, such a salary increase appears to be nothing more than an attack on civic dignity.
The parliamentary majority enjoyed by François Legault, as legitimate and satisfactory as it may seem, betrays the spirit of the laws. Because, essentially, the democratic process requires the executive to take into account popular reluctance, even if it is defended by a weak parliamentary minority. The legislative legitimacy of a majority government cannot rest solely on the successful outcome of an electoral contest; rather, it is incumbent upon it to ensure that each of the laws it enacts finds its essence in the will of the majority.
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